Jalapeño Bacon is Amazing

It is no secret that my husband LOVES bacon.  He purchases about 1-2 lbs per week from a little market down the road, and typically consumes all but 2-3 slices that he leaves for me.  And somehow, he manages to maintain excellent cholesterol levels and a svelte physique.  If we have children, let's hope they inherit those genes!

Chicken Pear Bacon Gorgonzola Salad

I decided to get creative with the Jalapeño bacon he bought yesterday and came up with these two dishes!  The first is a Chicken, Pear, Bacon Gorgonzola salad.  I marinated a chicken breast in some Mexican spices, cooked up the jalapeño bacon and diced it small, picked some romaine lettuce from the garden outside, sliced up a pear very thin, and chopped up a quarter of an onion.  Then, I mixed it all together.  I was about to add dressing, but with the marinated chicken and the bacon, it was flavorful enough!  I left off the cheese on my portion, but topped Geoff's with some gorgonzola, which he said really brought the dish together!

Jalapeno Bacon Wrapped Dates

Next, I used the rest of the bacon (about 3/4 pound) to wrap around 24 pitted dates, each one stuffed with an almond.  I baked until the bacon was brown (about 15 minutes and 350 degrees), let cool, and served!  (Geoff suggested these might also be very delicious if stuffed with some gorgonzola instead of an almond!)  We ate a few of these with the salad, and dinner was absolutely amazing!  This was certainly a night where I felt no deprivation whatsoever by eating Paleo!

However, I can't help feeling a little skeptical about my bacon and egg consumption lately.  It just seems wrong to say no to greek yogurt and brown rice and YES to saturated fat and cholesterol.  After the next couple weeks, I'm definitely going to lay off the bacon for a while, but for now, it's going to get me through this challenge!